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It'd be impossible to discuss Japan's Xbox Live usage stats, recently released by Microsoft (and posted after the break), without pointing to the overwhelmingly Japanese-developed composition of them. Taking first place among the top XBLA purchases of 2009 was last year's Virtual On port -- a game so popular in Japan that it currently holds second place in the region's all-time bestsellers list. Games like Ikaruga and Trigger Heart Exelica populate the rest of the XBLA stats, though Western-developed Castle Crashers notably takes the number one position in all-time popularity.

The sheer Japanosity of these stats is even more apparent in the download numbers for all that other stuff. From demos (75 percent Japanese-developed) to Games on Demand (90 percent) to DLC (also 90 percent), Japanese players clearly have a hankering for homemade games -- even on their Western-developed consoles.

[Via Andriasang]

This week on XBLA, we've got Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond. Like its retail predecessor, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, Blood Bath and Beyond is an action game that parodies other video games. Thankfully, the gameplay seems to hold up its end of the bargain this time, offering a decent hardcore shooter experience, though the 1200 ($15) seems a bit steep. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and see if Blood Bath and Beyond is for you.

Shortcut: Download the trial version of Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond [via Xbox.com]

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NinjaBee (makers of A Kingdom for Keflings, Band of Bugs and the underrated Outpost Kaloki X) has announced that it's working on a brand new title for Xbox Live Arcade, one that will allow you to play with your Mickey ear-wearing Xbox Live Avatar. There's no actual information about the game yet (not even a title, although we know it's not Ancients of Ooga, another NinjaBee game in progress), but as you can see from the concept art posted on its blog, there's an airship, a cute bird and a dragon involved. So: a cross between Final Fantasy, Twitter and Lair? Actually, we'd totally play that.

NinjaBee says an official announcement is coming at the end of the month, and it'll be releasing new concept art every week until then, so stay tuned for more.

Faux video game legend Matt Hazard returns (this time, for real) in Blood Bath & Beyond, blasting his way onto XBLA and PSN this Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The 2D side-scroller has the protagonist battling through his "classic" gaming past, fighting "pirates to penguins; lighthouses to laser-wielding astronauts; Mounties to mechanical rhinos" for $15 (1200).

The idea behind Matt Hazard sounds so perfect on paper: take thirty years of video game cliches and mock them. Sadly, as evidenced by Matt Hazard's first outing, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, instead of creating humor from the conventions, it ironically relied on them for the core gameplay -- thus, creating a game that invariably could mock itself and was its own punchline. Hopefully, this time around Hazard will make the jokes instead of being one.

Source -- This week on Arcade: Matt Hazard [Major Nelson]
Source -- Parody Alert!!! Matt Hazard [PS Blog]

While the Xbox Live Deal of the Week is often reserved for ancient, unwanted DLC, this week's deal is worth considering. On sale this week for 400 ($5) -- 50 percent off the regular price -- is NinjaBee's A Kingdom for Keflings. The game tasks your Avatars with building a kingdom for tiny folk known as Keflings. In order to do so, you'll need to gather the proper materials and make sure that the economy keeps thrumming along. As an added bonus, you can play with up to four players on Xbox Live.

Trust us when we say that A Kingdom for Keflings is pretty addictive. Throw in the recently released DLC -- two packs for 160 ($2) each -- and you've got plenty to keep yourself busy for a long time.

Shortcut: Add A Kingdom for Keflings to your 360 download queue [via Xbox.com]

[Via Major Nelson]

Halo Wars
Yeah, that's right, Halo Wars. I've already caught enough flak for putting this on my best-of list for 2009 (it's hard to even remember that it came out way back in February), but it deserves to be recognized ... so pay attention once your laughter has died down. Ensemble Studios (RIP) proved that you could bring a real-time strategy game to a console, and still make it enjoyable. Sure, you'll never have 1:1 parity mapping everything a full-sized keyboard offers onto a controller, but this game came close. It's a pity Ensemble closed, since we'll never see any expansion packs or a sequel. The good news is that, since it wasn't received with blaring trumpets and the sounds of cash registers ringing, you can pick this up for under 20 bucks for some good fun.

Xbox Live Indie Games have had ratings since July of last year and, with the arrival of the new year, let's see how the unwashed masses (who may or may not have actually played the games) rated them. As IndieGames points out, sitting pretty atop the lists for both the US and UK is The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai developer SKA Studios' I made a game with zombies in it. Also known by its clinical title: I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1.

Some other good indie fare is included in the list, along with Microsoft's almost instantly forgotten game-creator: Kodu. Yeah, remember that? Well, you can try the demo or download it for 400. Check out the full US list after the break, which could be different by the time this post goes up. The internet is fast.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
I mocked this "re-imagining" of Silent Hill when it was first announced. I thought Harry Mason had become an older, life-hewn Harry Potter and considered the town's frosty makeover as nothing short of sacrilege. But an encounter with the game at E3 2009 (and with candid producer Tomm Hulett) quickly changed my mind. While the game departs significantly from the franchise's known lore, it retains and streamlines much of what made Silent Hill stand out against games like Resident Evil. Encased in the game's frigid atmosphere, you'll experience a sense of bewilderment that, if you've been playing these games for a long time, you will not have felt in years. Indeed, the best surprises prey on those of us who think we know everything about Silent Hill.

When Twisted Pixel first announced 'Splosion Man, we all thought it was a joke. The press release, received on April Fools' Day, described a man made of explosions. Specifically, the release noted, "Yeah, lots of 'splosions ... like a guy made out of 'splosions, and he'd be like 'splode 'splode 'splode! and then things die," and it continued, "He'll 'splode people, and they'll blow up into big steaks and ribeyes and stuff." The Joystiq team dismissed this announcement as a prank, which seemed appropriate for the studio that brought us The Maw. The following day, Twisted Pixel sent Joystiq another press release, assuring us that 'Splosion Man was indeed real.

And from that ridiculous premise came one of the best 2D platformers in years. 'Splosion Man has just one button, the 'Splode Button, which accomplishes all tasks in the game. It's 'Splosion Man's attack, his action and, most importantly, his triple jump. Sending this point home, players can attempt to customize the controls from the options menu, only to find that every face button is mapped to the 'splode function. (You actually get an Achievement for trying to remap the controls.)

Using this very simple control scheme, players 'splode enemies, solve puzzles and plow through fiendishly clever racing sections. Throw in a brilliant, four-player co-op mode that literally has everyone jumping off one another and 'Splosion Man easily becomes one of the most refreshing experiences of 2009. Oh, and don't forget the donut song:

In many ways, Shadow Complex finds itself in similar standing as Rock Band and Guitar Hero; it's a style of game Konami has left for its competitors to refine and perfect. Taking its cues from the Metroids and Castlevanias of the world, the Xbox Live Arcade-exclusive title was able to stand out in 2009, regardless of its forgettable storyline and poorly constructed characters. As an overall experience, Shadow Complex was the best downloadable experience of 2009 -- and one of the year's overall best, for that matter.

Shadow Complex is a prime example of a developer -- in this case, Chair -- designing a game best suited for its platform and skyrocketing past expectations. It proves that 2D exploration and adventure can still have a meaningful impact if approached correctly. Sadly, Konami has decided against bringing new Castlevania experiences of this style to consoles and only now (since 2004's Metroid: Zero Mission) has Nintendo decided to return Samus closer to her roots in the upcoming Metroid: Other M (another game revealed at E3 2009).

It's no surprise that Shadow Complex resonated with us (hell, we dedicated quite a bit of time to the game), and while we weren't left mouth-agape at its originality, the entire experience left us craving more. We have yet to satisfy that craving, as no additional content has been delivered for the game since its August 19, 2009 debut.

Beyond its excellent blend of shooting and platforming, and its tremendous value (only $15!), Shadow Complex stands out as one of the best experiences we've had all year. It simultaneously resurrected our love of the 2D exploration genre and our inner speedrun freak, and is a testament to the maturity of the download space on consoles within the last few years. We hope the franchise will be with us for the long haul.

Update: It's your lucky day, folks! Battlefield 1943 is on sale for 560 ($7), not 600 as EA originally tweeted.

Concluding its streak of daily deals during the holiday season, the Xbox Live version of Battlefield 1943 will be on sale for 50% off, tomorrow. EA's official Battlefield 1943 Twitter account revealed that the New Years Eve sale (and final daily deal on the Marketplace) would slash the popular shooter's price to 600 ($7.50 USD), for one day only.

While we're avid fans of the WWII-themed shooter, we're still irked that the game hasn't received proper (read: any) DLC support, save for the unlocked Coral Sea "air superiority" map. Perhaps a rush of new soldiers will push EA to begin development on new content, but we won't hold our breath while we wait in that foxhole.

With only two days of daily holiday deals left, it looks like Microsoft decided to make today's a doozy. Like the headline says, today's deal is Castle Crashers for a mere 560. That's sevenearth dollars and, more importantly, a substantial savings over the usual 1200 ($15) price tag. If you haven't experienced the co-op glory, now is the time. Trust us, people like this game. They like it so much that they build costumes of their favorite characters.

If you don't have it yet, you need that kind of joy in your life.

Shortcut: Add Castle Crashers to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]

Now that Darwinia+ has passed Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade certification process, you likely have your passport ready for the upcoming trip to Darwinia's action RTS battlefields. According to Xbox 360 Achievements, lending a helping hand to your stick brethren in need won't just net you the warm fuzzies, but will also reward you with some Gamerscore.

There's 200 to be had in total, rewarding players for things like saving Darwinians, crushing invading ant hordes and winning matches on every map in the game. It's a nice, varied list that doesn't look like it encourages too much grinding -- well, except for the Stick Man Slaughter Achievement, which requires you to kill 65,536 enemies.

We've all seen screens here and there from Rare's upcoming high def-ified Perfect Dark port for XBLA. Today, we're happy to report there's a whole bunch of new media out there to sift through, courtesy of Gamertag Radio.

Head past the break for video of Perfect Dark's Carrington Institute level or, if you're one who worries about a sudden outbreak of motion sickness, check out some stills from the game over on GTR's flickr page. Perfect Dark is currently scheduled for a "Winter 2010" release.

Source - Screens from Perfect Dark
Source - Carrington Institute level video

For $5, you could probably buy a value meal fit for a king -- but you know what you couldn't get? A delightfully charming action platformer starring a purple, omnivorous and gelatinous blob. No, wait! This week -- and this week only -- you can get a delightfully charming action platformer starring a purple, omnivorous and gelatinous blob. The price of Twisted Pixel's The Maw has been slashed from 800 MS Points ($10) to 400 MS Points ($5). And here we thought Christmas was over.

Additionally, today's holiday XBLM deal is a Rolling Stones live track pack for Guitar Hero 5. It can be yours for only 360 ($4.50), half the usual 720 ($9) price.

Shortcut: Add The Maw to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
Shortcut: The Rolling Stones Live Track Pack [Via Xbox.com]